Recessed lighting fixture with drop hinged cover



May 19, 1953 R. PRYNE 2,639,368

RECESSEID LIGHTING FIXTURE WITH DROP HINGED COVER Filed May 12, 1949 INVEN TOR.

Patented May 19, 1953 UNITED STATES OFFICE ros es!) .LIGHH FIXTURE WmiDB9? HINGED Italph l igvne,- Pomona, Calif. elli lltsliili Ma 12, time;N0 9%.85

(Cl. Z i i---'3) 1 Claim.

M in ent n r l s is imp ovements i ase el ct ca ie Wei h ma h installedin ceiling, side or other walls of struccures. lThe primary object of myinvention is to Provide a f xture of ts kind; which is so designed thatthe outlet box or splice box, light et, reflector, illuminating means,cover other portions are readily accessible for splicing, connecting,cleaning, repairing, replacing and other 'P n ss o i Hor or. T ll uponthe structure shown in my compan i'applicatlon, Ser. No. 38,234, filedJuly 12, 1948, issued. as fifi m NG- Q' 1 ll, 2-

eto o it h s been di i ult and at times z r u fo attenda t to re whiisud er and servic a fixture prove in add tion to ther sdvsntas. re s theom w: r t a minim p fi th sesstru ti o the fixure so that i is easi r stll d a d s rviced, the cost .o c t uct o is reduced, and the operationof the fixture facilitated; My improved fixture is also readily adaptedto modern building construction and.

'the electrical supply 'servicewhich is in general use.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, my inventioncomprises the features of construction and combination of partshereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, Fig. 1is a typical elevational view partly broken away and in section, showingmy improved recessed lighting fixture when in stalled in a ceilingstructure and its front closed; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a detailportion of the structure shown in Fig. 1, when the front of the fixtureassumes open position to permit servicing; Fig. 3 is a horizontalsectional view taken approximately on and below the line 3-3 of Fig. 2,when the front is closed; Fig. 4 is a plan of a portion of one of thespring controlled hinge units by which the front of the fixture issupported, and Fig. 5 is a section of the hinge base plate taken on theline 5--5 of Fig. i.

My improved lighting fixture comprises a boxlike housing A, which isdesigned to be recessed in a wall structure such as B, said housinghaving connected to its inner end wall In, a typical outlet box C of aconduit system for making the usual connection with the conventionallight socket l l and the usual electrical service line i i.

The housing A is provided with one or both inner and outer removableside covers 13 and M, which are fastened removably by screws I4 or suitae i s pi l {#33 51 for Permitting E1 0 o he sssrisst ns 0 made 35W???the sua se ce 1 s as N we e sock l i. When the electrical connection ismade excess Wire may be packed in the outlet box .6 in the usual mann r.The removable cover [3 also pert nits access to the connections in theout;- l he firm ithin the hou n as h naf or cribed. The screwsl'gfwhich'iasten the cover it may also serve to iasten the outlet box tothe end wall lil.

The wall structure B may represent the ceiling, side or any otherportionlof a building structure shown has the usual rafters it, or framemel'nhe rs for supporting the usual lath and L ster or other type ofwall finish such it. ii suitable opening ii is provided through the wallruns it, to receive thehousing A and as shown the hou rig is fastened tothe wall structure B by the angle clips It or other suitable means. Thelower end portion of the housing is open, as shown, and a reflector 28is removahly supported horizontallytherein by the separable clipconnecting elements 21, which are secured to the opposite sides 22 ofthehousing. This reflector has a central opening 23 through which theilluminating light bulb 26 in the socket li projects downwardly. Whenthe light bulb is unscrewed and I'clliOVEtd from its socket, therefleotor can be lifted on of its fastening supports ill and removeddownwardly from the recessed housing, thus providing free accessupwardly to the socket and outlet box. The reflector, however, is notessential to the invention.

The lower open end portion of the housing is normally closed by thecover D which has a frame conforming in marginal outline and overlappingthe edge of the opening through the wall finish it, which surrounds thelower end of the housing. The frame of the cover I) has an upstandingenclosing flange 2% within which a light transmitting plate 2'5 is held,thus forming a window through which light from the bulb 24, either inclear or condition is transmitted outwardly from within the housing.

The cover I) is supported either in closed horiaontal position as shownin Fig. 1, or in open inclined position as shown in Fig. by a pair ofsimilar oppositely disposed spring controlled hinge units 3% and 3E.Each of these hinge elements consists of a supporting oblong plate 32which is formed by a longitudinal shoulder 33 with an oiiset outstandingportion 33' (Fig. 5), below which a spring actuated supporting arm 34 ispivotally secured at 35 (Fig. 4). The sup- 3 porting plate 32 is securedon one side of the housing by rivets 36 or other suitable means so thatthe arm 34 may swing freely. The outer end portion 3'! (Fig. 2) of thearm 34 is formed with a lateral pivot 38 which rotatively engages inoneof the outwardly directed sockets 39, there being a pair of said socketsprovided in opposite side portions of the enclosing flange 26 on theframe 25. A retractable helic'al spring 40 is secured between anengaging catch 4| on the outer portion of the arm 34 and the engagingcatch 42 on the hinge plate 32. The connecting points of said spring 40with the arm 34 and catch 42 are in offset relation to the pivot 35,whereby the cover is retained in closed position automatically by thesprings 40 of the opposite pair of hinge elements. The arms 34 aresufficiently flexible so as normally to automatically engage the sockets39 but permit lateral separation so that the cover can be disconnectedand removed when the latter is in open position. In this manner therecessed housing can be opened so that its parts are fully accessiblefor adjusting, cleaning and servicing, or for any other purpose desired.When the cover is opened and inclines downwardly from the position shownin Fig. 1, towards the position shown in Fig. 2, the short inner endportions 44 of arms 34 are adapted to strike the shoulder elements 33and limit the downward inclination of the cover.

The means thus provided enables the cover to be connected to ordisconnected from the arms 34 in a snap-on manner and without the use oftools and without the use of bolts, screws, nuts or other fasteningmeans, all of which saves time, labor and expense.

I have described the principles of operation or" my invention, togetherwith the construction thereof which I now consider to represent the bestembodiment thereof, but I desire to have it I understood that theconstruction shown is only illustrative and that the invention can becarried out by other means and applied to uses other than those aboveset forth within the spirit of the invention and the scope of thefollowing claim.

I claim:

In a lighting fixture unit adapted to be recessed into a building wallstructure, an outer shell, a lamp socket in said shell, a window coverover the lower portion of said shell, snap-acting opening and closingmeans for said cover comprising a pair of similar, oppositely-disposed,springcontrolled hinge units, each hinge element consisting of asupporting plate positioned on opposite sides of said shell, said platebeing formed with a longitudinal shoulder and anintegral offsetoutstanding portion, a spring-operated supporting arm pivotally securedto said plate near one end thereof, said end of the supporting aim beingsufficiently spaced from the pivot so that it will strike saidlongitudinal shoulder and limit the downward inclination of the windowcover and hold it by spring action in predetermined open position, theother end of said arm being provided with a lateral pivot, acorresponding socket in said window cover, a retractible helical springbetween catches on the supporting plate and supporting arm respectively,the connecting points of the spring to said catches being 01iset withrespect to the pivot point of the arm on said supporting plate, wherebythe cover is retained in closed position automatically by spring action.

RALPH PRYNE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,478,473 Herron Dec. 25, 1923 1,931,343 Cook et a1 Oct. 17,1933 2,120,449 Vanderveld June 14, 1938 2,227,655 Levy Jan. 7, 19412,300,504 Hedges Nov. 3, 1942 2,330,935 Tuek Oct. 5, 1943 2,334,484Dunbar Nov. 16, 1943 2,434,108 Handler Jan. 6, 1948 OTHER REFERENCESCrouse Hinds catalogue #2200, November 1, 1929, page 188, catalogue Nos.UGE 100 and UGE 1300.

